Game Of Thrones Producers Considering Just 2 More Shorter Seasons To Finish Show

The end game is almost upon us and it could happen faster than we all expected. In an exclusive interview with Variety, Game Of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss reveal that they’re considering finishing the series with just two more shorter season after season six; with seven episodes for season seven and six for season eight.

So after the ten-episode season six, which is just about to premier on Sky Atlantic in the UK, there could be just 13 more episodes to go.

“I think we’re down to our final 13 episodes after this season. We’re heading into the final lap,” says Benioff. “That’s the guess, though nothing is yet set in stone, but that’s what we’re looking at.”

Variety, however, says its sources say that the exact details have yet to be thrashed out with the show’s US broadcaster, HBO, and that while the final seasons may be shorter exact episode numbers have not yet been negotiated.

HBO programming president Michael Lombardo agrees that Weiss and Benioff have plans to make just two more season but leaves the door open that that may not be the final say on the matter. “That’s my understanding from them right now, those have been the conversations we’ve had,” he says. “Because where these narratives go, it feels like another two years to them. As a television executive, as a fan, do I wish they said another six years? I do.”

Part of the reason the showrunners want to make shorter seasons, though, seems to have less to do with narrative integrity and more to do with production logistics: “It’s crossing out of a television schedule into more of a mid-range movie schedule,” says Weiss.

Meanwhile, here’s a new clip of Sam from season six, which starts in the UK on 25 April.